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Georgia Teacher In Custody After Allegedly Firing At Least One Shot At Dalton High School

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 07:12 PST, Feb 28, 2018

Just days after Donald Trump took to Twitter to promote the idea of arming select teachers in an effort to combat the epidemic of U.S. school shootings, a Georgia teacher is reportedly in custody after allegedly firing at least one shot and barricading themselves in their classroom. As Fox News reports, the terrifying incident took place at approximately 11:30 a.m. at Dalton High School in Dalton, Georgia. Police have not identified the teacher, who was reportedly involved in a brief standoff with authorities before being taken into custody.

According to social media posts made by the Dalton Police Department, no students were inside the classroom as the potentially deadly drama unfolded. The incident reportedly began after the unidentified teacher allegedly refused to allow their students to enter the classroom and, at some point, allegedly discharged a gun. It is unclear if the teacher fired the gun at anyone, but a witness who heard the gunshot called the police.

The school was evacuated, and during that process one student reportedly hurt their ankle while running. That student was treated at the scene.

After arriving on the scene, police allegedly engaged in a brief standoff with the Georgia teacher (lasting an estimated 30-45 minutes) before taking them into custody. Preliminary reports indicate that no faculty or staff were injured during the incident.

Police have not confirmed what kind of gun was in the possession of and allegedly fired by the Georgia teacher, other than to say that it was a handgun. Authorities have stated to prior to evacuating the high school and surrounding area, the school was placed on lockdown.

Newly emerging details indicate that when the Georgia teacher refused to open the classroom for their students, the students involved the principal. When that principal came to the classroom and attempted to get into the facility with his key, the teacher allegedly “forcibly” closed the door on him. It was following that interaction that the gunshot was heard.

A resource officer was reportedly working at the Georgia school when this morning’s gun-related drama took place. It is unclear where that officer was when the shot was fire and/or during the subsequent lockdown and evacuation.

Throughout today’s incident, both students and the Dalton Police Department turned to social media to share what was going on in the school and for the duration of the evacuation. It is unclear what charges may ultimately be filed against the Georgia teacher, or what may have led to today’s gun-related incident.

Parents of the roughly 2000 Dalton High School students were instructed to pick up their children at the Northwest Georgia Trade Center following the gunfire. Dalton is located approximately 90 miles north of Atlanta.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

***Update: The Georgia teacher involved in today’s alleged shooting has been identified by authorities as 53-year-old Jesse Randal Davidson, a longtime teacher known as “the voice of Dalton High School” for his work as a radio announcer for the school’s football and basketball programs, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A motive for the alleged shooting incident remains unknown.***

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